My Current You Tube Obsession

I found this guy on You Tube recently.  It's a channel called "Willys Truck Life".  This guy is from Newfoundland and lives in his truck.  He travels around Canada and cooks over an open fire and most of his videos are of what he is cooking.

The first one I found was this one, and it remains one of my favorites.

**Warning for Anne**  Don't watch this one as he is cooking Liver. 8-)))

Better than what he is cooking in this video is the fact that he is doing so in a town named DILDO.

Now I must go to Dildo Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.  And visit Nana & Pop's Souvenir Shop and buy bunches of bumper stickers, bookmarks and t-shirts that say DILDO. lololz

As I've watched more of his videos I find he is a real likeable character.  My guilty You Tube pleasure?

Maybe.....

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the June 28th Edition

There are a few Frugal wins over the past week.

*   I grabbed a few freebies at Walmart this week......

The pads and toothpaste are headed to the food bank.  The Winged Wellness gummies, the Mushroom gummies and "Wonder Gut" I am keeping and all had full price rebates on them(well not the Wonder Gut).  The Shepherd's Pie was an "The Insiders" offer I qualified for...cost $5.98 and I am suppose to get a $15 electronic debit card.

*  About those electronic debit cards--seems you can't combine them with another form of payment if the amount on the EDC doesn't cover what you are trying to purchase(at least not on Amazon or Walmart, etc. as I have tried).  So you need to track what you spend and find something that, after tax included hits or comes close to but not over the amount on the card.  The last time I had one of these EDCs it had $30 loaded on it and after buying 2 items I had $2.14 left on it.  I figured I wasn't going to have that card expire with $2.14 still on it(these debit cards have about 6 months of life).  I actually found something for $2.14 including sales tax to LA the other day so ordered it.  It's something I'll either give as a gift or put in a giveaway box in the Fall(too hot here to mail anything that might melt in this heat and humidity now).

*  Every PT session I grab a bottle of water from the fridge there.  So free 16 bottles of water total. 8-)

*  I went back to the Orthopedist for my shoulders.  Still having pain in the left one(PT and continuing to do exercises at home seems to have helped the right one)so I got a steroid injection in my left AC joint.  I am bruised and still sore where it was administered but hopefully this will give me some relieve(this and avoided doing certain actions with my left arm).  The AC joint is full up with arthritis inflammation, and it's right where my bra strap sits so going braless seems to help as well.  Good thing I don't go much of anywhere and can stay home and not wear one of those torturous devices. lol

*  I also did a little Kroger shopping on Tuesday.....

In preparation for being at my brother's house in VA, where I won't have a car and they eat a strange diet(due to medical issues), so I don't know what they will have I can consume, I bought 5 boxes of protein bars plus 3 single bars.  The Dave's Killer Bread bars were on sale(and had a coupon and a rebate, which made them free), the singles were part of the Mega Sale and the 2 Annie's boxes and 2 Fiber One boxes were on clearance(and both had rebates making them ultra cheap-$1.04 each for the Annie's and $1.77 each for the Fiber One).  The breakfast cereal and 3 toothpastes were for the food bank and the box of cookies were for Hubs(plus had a coupon and rebate making it $1.79).  The Knorr noodle cups were on sale and had Shop Kick offers making them .89¢ each, the Excedrin Head Care(no NSAID in it, just melatonin and other "herbs")was .49¢ after clearance sale + $3 digital Q and $3 Swag Bucks offer.  The double pack of Voltaren was 50% off on clearance and it's something we can use with my shoulder issues so I gladly spent $17.49 on that.  The Duke's soap & body wash was on clearance for $3.52 each and had $1.75 on each in Ibotta rebates and a matching $1.75 off each KCB(who knows if that will ever show up!)so were .02¢ if the KCB does magically appear. lol  I'll either sell or donate those toiletry items so they are not counted in my grocery tab.

We did spend on 2 packs of Klondike ice cream sandwiches on sale and with Ibotta rebates, a pack of clearance priced trout fillets for Hubs to make when I am gone(I don't care for trout)and an almost half priced with store coupon hunk of salmon.

Also picked up a 2 lb. of strawberries for $2.88(changed my location in the app to get the best coupon deal)and a 4 pack of Dannon yogurt cups on clearance which cost $1.39 after digital coupon.  These regularly go for almost $5 at Kroger!

Also bought were some bagged salads(3 on clearance and 1 on sale)and a cantaloupe, also on sale.  I also picked up a 12 pack of Cesar wet dog food for the little beasties, after coupon was $13.49(plus I got a $1 from Ibotta and I had tracking on Fetch so received another $6 for hitting a threshold there).

*  Remember that $10 gift card for 3rd place we won at Trivia last week?.....

Well we went back for trivia at the new location to us on Wednesday to spend this and not have to go back again.  We didn't try very hard at trivia and there were so many pop culture, video game and Netflix series questions(we don't pay for Netflix)we though for sure we'd not win, place or show(as we don't watch movies, don't have Netflix or other streaming services and don't "do" video games).  There were only 5 teams playing(all of which were much larger than the 2 of us).  One team left after the second round so it was 4 teams competing for 3 gift card prizes.  Even with our dismal showing we got 2nd place!  We played the 15 point bonus round(where you can lose your points if you are wrong)and we got it right, which means 2 other teams either didn't even do the Bonus round or got it wrong.  Even when we try to lose we win if there are so few teams competing.  We were laughing our heads off at the 2nd place win. lolz

*  After PT on Thursday I hit up Walmart for some freebies.........

I am keeping the dog foods only.  The 2 tubes of toothpaste and the swim diapers are going to the food bank.

All this cost me $45.67, well I DID use a free gift card so it actually "cost" me $20.67 OOP.

I received back $45.62 in rebates so it all "cost" me a nickel.  I had a $2/1 paper coupon for the swim diapers which I forgot so it could have been a $1.95 moneymaker.  oh well.

*  Way back on February 14th I texted AARP.  I was already incensed that I was required to join AARP in November of 2023 and hand over $12 to them in order to get a certain Medical Supplement Plan back in January when I became eligible for Medicare, but I realized in February that when you join you are suppose to get a free gift and I wanted that free gift!  So supposedly the agent in text had ordered my free gift of a tote bag on that date and it was shipping out in 3-4 weeks.  Fast forward to June 17th and nothing had arrived nor had I heard word one from AARP on this matter.  So I texted them again and used their quoted words from before on my gift shipping out in 3-4 weeks. This agent looked into the matter and that previous employee had never actually ORDERED the bag!!!  My, that's crackjack customer service for you, isn't it?!  So this new agent assured me the tote bag was ordered and would be on it's way.

Here is what I received this week........

A very small package.

Here's the "Tote Bag" along with 3 copies of a glossy generic thank you card.  Quality control much??

This "tote bag" is about the size of a lunch bag, not the size of what anyone would refer to as a tote bag.  I have tote bags of various kinds and this ain't one.  Maybe I can use it in the Summer when I buy frozen or refrigerated food at the grocery store to "tote" it home.  I think 1 pack of ground beef or a steak will fit into this.

*  I found money!  It wasn't a great week for found coins but at least I didn't get skunked.

On Monday I headed into Walmart to pick up a new Rx from the "real" Neurologist and got a few freebies too.  I found one penny tucked under the pharmacy counter and the other near a self-checkout register before leaving the store.  Go. me.

I also found another penny at a different Walmart in their parking lot on Thursday. rah.

Total Found last week.... .03¢ 

Grand Total Found this Year.......$5.14 & 5.30 Euros

That's all I got.   Next "FF" up will be in July.

Any frugal wins in your neck of the woods?  Let's hear all about them!

Sluggy     

 

Return to the Creepy Eye Doctor

 If  you've been here awhile, you know I went to a local eye doc to have a secondary cataract zapped in my left eye back in March.  

When I left there, the doctor handed me a card with a new appointment for June.  I assumed it was a follow up to check up on my procedure from March.  

So I go in, the tech makes me read off an eye chart, etc., then sticks me in a room to wait for an eye doctor, a different one from the one that lasered my eye in March.

After close to an hour of waiting, the eye doc comes in, greets me, looks at my record and then asks me why I was there?  I told her I assumed this was a follow-up to laser procedure in March, which she said it wasn't.  She continued that usually the office schedules a procedure for the other eye at that first laser procedure, not a follow-up and she had no clue why I was there.

Now I also had no clue why I was there either!  She said to make another appointment at the front for having my other eye lasered.  She asked me if I wanted glasses before I left.  Yep, this was an appointment just to get me to order glasses.  *eyes roll*  Nope.  My reading glasses work just fine, thanks anyway.

So I made an appointment to get my other eye's secondary cataract taken care of and left.

Besides wasting my time with this non-appointment I was also disappointed that the giant eyeball outside was NOT decorated for the season.

I'll be going back the day before the 4th of July so am hoping there is an Uncle Sam hat or US flags poking out of the top of it.

I did snap a new eyeball artwork gracing the walls inside the building though......

Love this one! lolz

Sluggy

Life Lately

 I don't know if I mentioned it already(I've been kind of loopy lately)but I saw the new neurologist a week ago Monday.  Now I am fully untangled from that crappy health system. rah.

She didn't know this other neurologists name so she thinks he is a resident....a doctor with training wheels as it were.  That would partly explain him never answering my messages through the patient portal or the many phone calls logged into the Neurology Department.  He's too busy being pulled to here to there like all resident students.  And it would explain him calling me in the evening from his dorm or whatever his housing situation is.

Anyway, I now have a full fledged Neurologist who knows her shit AND can  be reached if needed.  I watched as she went through the 50 pages of my neurological medical records the other healthcare system sent over(remember, this is the same system that gave me to a Pediatrician when I went seeking a Primary Care Provider)and she was circling stuff and marking through stuff, while shaking her head and I might have seen a few eye rolls too.

Basically Mr. Resident was woefully under medicating my Essential Tremor!  New Neurologist DOUBLED one medication dosage and increased the other by a quarter.  She also told me if this wasn't enough to control them fully, she would add another medicine that is often used with my main medication, as those two sort of work in tandem to control ET.

I also let her know I was going to Virginia to possibly have FUS(Focused Ultrasound)procedure and she was all for that. 8-)))  Even if I get the FUS it will only help my dominant hand and I'll still need medications to control the other side.  After 9 months to a year patients can have the other side of their brain done if needed but I don't know where we will be a year down the road.  I can still go back to Virginia to that particular Neurosurgeon if I want.  I probably will because if we relocate to PA the closest one now to that part of Pennsylvania who does this procedure is in Philly and we won't be as close as staying with my brother in Virginia would be.

I've been to a couple of webinars on FUS and ET with Neurosurgeons and they both say there is no way to know how long the FUS procedure is effective for(your experience may vary).  I may end up back with the ET on the treated side a number of years down the road but I feel it's something I need to try.  I hate being on all these drugs and if this gets me off them or at least lessens how many I need I am all in.

I'll leave you with a nice sunset we had the other evening.  The sun sets at the back of our property.....

                                           

All the trees back there obscure the whole view but it's nice anyway.

Tomorrow maybe I'll talk about my return to the creepy eye doctor's office too.  That was a royal cluster but what can I say.....I am being held hostage in Louisiana and what passes for competence here. lolz

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table....the June 24th Edition

The "What Makes America Great, at Least in Louisiana" Edition.....

      

Saw these shirts recently in Walmart for sale as it's almost the Fourth of July.  Yep, BBQ, Beer and Freedom on a tank top are worth celebrating down here for our Country's Birthday. lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week...........

1. Sunday--Ribeye Steak, Bake Potato, Roasted Corn on cob(Father's Day)

2. Monday--Leftover Fajita stuff of Stir-Fry

3. Tuesday--Dinner out at Trivia?

4. Wednesday--Catfish, Broccoli Slaw, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

5. Thursday--Whatever we didn't have leftover on Monday lolz

6. Friday--Cheddar Broccoli Potato Bake

7. Saturday--Don't know?

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Ribeye Steak, Bake Potato, Roasted Corn on cob(Father's Day)

2. Monday--Leftover Fajita stuff or Stir-Fry

3. Tuesday--No Trivia so Zaxby's Chicken

4. Wednesday--Salad, Onion Rings

5. Thursday--Take n' Bake Pizza, Caesar Salad

6. Friday--Catfish, Broccoli Slaw, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

7. Saturday--Leftover Stir-Fry(no rice)

Father's Day was Hubs request of steak, tater and corn on cob.

Trivia was cancelled as the bar closed down that day unbeknownst to us so we pivoted and got Zaxby's on the way home as I had nothing thawed.  We did trivia at another location on Wednesday.  I found a marked down take n' bake pizza at Kroger so that became dinner on Thursday along with a Caesar Salad.  Catfish finally got used on Friday along with the marked down bag of Broccoli Slaw mix.  I still have some asparagus leftover in the fridge so Hubs chopped it up and added it to the leftover Stir-Fry on Saturday.  Stir Fry recipes are good for that, right? ;-)

What got taken out of the freezer last week....

*  2 Ribeye Steaks

*  1+ lbs. of Catfish

What got put into the freezer last week....

*  4 crab cakes                               

Last week we spent $112.18 on grocery shopping. (A lot of that was dog food.)

Total shopping comes to $448.65 for June.   There are 6 shopping days left in June.  

Rebate monies earned this month so far.....

I've earned $185.12 on Ibotta in June.

I've earned $24.75 on Shopmium in June.

I've earned $9.00 on Alexa app in June.

I've earned $37.25 on Kroger Cash Back in June.

I've earned $4.00 on TaDa in June.

I've earned $7.26 on Checkout51 in June.

I've earned $66.16 on Aisle, etc. in June. (Haven't gotten my Nature Valley rebate yet.)

I've earned 23,987 points on Fetch from food shopping in June.

I've earned 22,470 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in June.($89.88)

I've earned 10 Points on My Points in June.($)

I've earned 5,633 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in June.

That is $283.29 in rebates(not counting Shop Kick/Fetch/MyPoints/KCB/Alexa/Swag Bucks)on $448.65 of grocery spending so in reality it's $165.36 in food spending after the rebate apps I count. I now separate out the Food Bank donations and don't count those in the grocery spending.

My savings percentage for the last week was 53.31% and the monthly savings total for June comes in at 49.93% spent.

Leftovers going into this week...some Fajita filling.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

 1. Sunday--Pork Loin, Spinach Soufflé

2. Monday--Cheddar Broccoli Potato Bake

3. Tuesday--Dinner out at Trivia

4. Wednesday--Ravioli, Salad

5. Thursday--Tuna Subs, Fruit

6. Friday--Leftovers of Fend for Yourself

7. Saturday--Zucchini and some protein?

I've got that Cheddar Broccoli bake and Ravioli lingering in the freezer so let's get those gone.  I've got Tuna in the pantry so subs it is too.

I didn't go to Kroger last Friday as I usually do...there was just nothing I wanted, except strawberries, milk,  and now sub rolls, which I'll buy on Tuesday after PT and doctor's appointment.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy